10 Potential Buffalo Bills Draft Picks

Butch Gill/Getty ImagesThe Buffalo Bills hold the 10th pick in tonight's first round of the NFL draft. After upgrading the defensive line with the addition of Mario Williams and Mark Anderson where will the Bills go next? Will they continue to strengthen the defense, will they try to give Ryan Fitzpatrick another weapon or will they try and protect his backside by adding a left tackle. The Bills have plenty of needs and after further review here are 10 potential prospects to consider in the first round.

1

Mark Barron, Safety, University of Alabama Crimson Tide

One week ago, nobody was talking about the Bills drafting a Safety. That all changed when legitimate NFL sources revealed that the Bills were high on Safety Mark Barron.Mike Mayock of the NFL Network calls Barron one of the safest picks in the draft and a potential pro-bowler who will make an immediate impact. Safeties usually end up covering tight-ends, which would serve the Bills well in their encounters with the Patriots. Still, having seen the Bills drop first round picks on Donte Whitner and Henry Jones, you gotta wonder if this is the best route to go.

Butch Gill/Getty Images

2

Luke Kuechly, Linebacker, Boston College Eagles

Mayock believes that Kuechly, not Barron is the key to stopping pass heavy offenses that rely on the Tight End and predicts the Bills will pick him because of his ability to drop into coverage. He calls Kuechly "a three down linebacker" and the "best zone drop linebacker he has ever seen". With the uncertainty of Shawn Merriman's health, the Bills could use a third linebacker to pair with Nick Barnett and Kelvin Sheppard to give them a dominant front seven.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

3

Stephon Gilmore, Cornerback, South Carolina

Morris Claiborne from LSU will likely be gone in the first 5 picks, so the next best corner is Stephon Gilmore, who Mayock calls the 8th best player in the draft. League sources have been told that the Bills are not only high on Barron but Gilmore as well. Should he somehow get past the Panthers, he could end up a Bill. Gilmore is not only a physical corner, he's fast with a 4.0 combine speed. He plays best in zone coverages.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

4

Riley Reiff, Offensive Tackle, Iowa State Buckeyes

A few weeks ago Riley Reiff was the consensus top pick for the Bills, Mike Mayock even had him ranked ahead of Matt Kalil at one point.But Reiff's stock has cooled and he might become a mid-round pick when all is said and done. League Sources are reporting the Bills may trade up to nab Kalil, so the Reiff pick needs to come with an asterisk. But if they can't get Kalil they may be tempted to wait until the second round to pick up a tackle and go with a safer pick like Kuechly, Gilmore or Barron. Still, Reiff is the second best tackle in the draft and it's a huge position of need for the Bills. Mayock calls Reiff a "plug and play right tackle", but warns he isn't ready to play the left side yet.

David Purdy/Getty Images

5

Michael Floyd, Wide Receiver, Notre Dame

The Bills spent the opening of Free Agency courting some pretty high profile wide receivers, but never signed one. So obviously they consider it a position of need, but they already have 10 receivers on the roster. But if they decide it would be nice to have another threat to go along with Stevie Johnson there are plenty of Fighting Irish Fans in Western New York who would welcome Floyd with open arms.

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

6

Ryan Tannehill, Quarterback, Texas A&M

The Dolphins have had as much trouble as the Bills trying to replace their class of 83' hall of fame quarterback so there's no way the Dolphins are going to pass on Ryan Tannehill is there? It is the Dolphins, and if they do, cue Hootie and the Blowfish (the Dolphins Make Me Cry) and consider Tannehill a Bill. Starting Quarterbacks almost always come out of the first round and with a few years grooming he could become the Bills next franchise quarterback. Tannehill is the 8th ranked player in the draft at CBSsports.com.

Darren Carroll/Getty Images

7

Jonathan Martin, Offensive Tackle, Stanford

So the Bills go Defense or Wide Receiver in the first round. Who's the next best fit for the Bills on the O-line? It's got be Jonathan Martin who's been rising up the draft boards for his physical play and blocking skills. Hopefully his stock doesn't rise too much and the Bills can pick him up in the second round. Mayock has him going late in the first. That leaves Mike Adams as the next best tackle on the board, but he might be a reach this early in the second.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

8

Melvin Ingram, Defensive End, South Carolina

Even with the signing of Mario Williams it's possible the Bills could go Defensive Line again. The Bills love defensive line depth, and plan on sending lineman in waves. Plus Ingram is a rare breed, having played defensive end, defensive tackle and linebacker at South Carolina. Chan Gailey loves players like that. He's lined up in the 4-3 and the 3-4. Perfect for the Bills defensive scheme that tends to mix up personnel.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

9

Janoris Jenkins, Cornerback, North Alabama

Dre Kirkpatrick visited the Buffalo Bills, and is a big physical corner who does well in man-to-man coverage. But he only has three interceptions since 2010 and the last thing the Bills need is another corner who can't pick off a pass. I would rather see the Bills go with Janoris Jenkins in the second round, he was once considered a top 12 prospect by NFLdraftscout.com. But Jenkins comes with some baggage, having been arrested for pot possession and he's allegedly been involved in questionable behavior off the field too.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

10

Tank Carder, Linebacker, TCU Horned Frogs

My fun pick and flyer. If the Bills pass on Luke Kuechly in the first round they are still going to draft a linebacker. If they don't go Linebacker early, I'm rooting for them to make a play for Tank Carder in the Fourth or Fifth round. Not just because he's the best linebacker available, he's got the best name in the draft. I mean, his name is Tank and he played for a team called the Horned Frogs. How could the Bills go wrong!

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